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MATANOG, Maguindanao del Norte — The Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education (MBHTE) has granted over P11 million support to school-based feeding efforts for Bangsamoro learners in Maguindanao, as part of the culmination of Nutrition Month in the region.
MBHTE Minister Mohagher Iqbal and Director General for Basic Education Abdullah Salik Jr. turned over a P11,012,400 cheque to Maguindanao del Norte (MDN) Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Alma Abdula-Nor during a ceremony held Tuesday, July 29, in Matanog.
The funding will support the implementation of the 2025–2026 Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF) program, which aims to improve learners’ nutrition, health, and academic performance through the provision of nutritious meals in schools.
This year, the HGSF program targets 10,451 elementary learners across 10 municipalities — 5,244 from 15 schools in MDN and 5,207 from 13 schools in Maguindanao del Sur (MDS).
Minister Iqbal stressed that providing nutritious foods and hot meals for Bangsamoro learners helps make them more active and supports not just their physical health, but also their emotional and mental well-being.
“Alam niyo (You know) — this school feeding program is one of the most important programs to the MBHTE,” he said.
“Kapag ang kalusugan ng mga anak natin ay gaganda, syempre aangat at aangat ang kalidad ng kanilang edukasyon,” the Minister added.
[When the health of our children improves, of course, the quality of their education will also improve.]
He also credited the success of the program to partnerships with the United Nations World Food Programme (UN-WFP), the Embassy of Japan, local farmers, teachers, local government units, and other stakeholders.
Support services provided alongside the feeding fund include distribution of kitchen utensils, tools, and Iron Fortified Rice from UN-WFP; garden tools and seeds from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR); deworming by the Ministry of Health (MOH); and vegetables and fruits from local farmers.
Meanwhile, Superintendent Dr. Abdula-Nor said the launching of the HGSF program and culmination of Nutrition Month reflect shared commitments to a vital cause: that “every child is a better learner.”
“The MBHTE, through our school-based feeding program, continues to invest in the health and well-being of our learners, especially those who need it the most,” she said.
“Let this celebration not end today but continue every day in our classrooms, in our homes, and even in our communities,” she added.
Further, Minister Iqbal and UN-WFP Cotabato Head Lyca Therese Sarenas led the signing of a joint commitment to strengthen the program’s implementation.
Also in attendance were MBHTE Salik, Jr., and board members; Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA) Director General Eng’r. Mohajirin Ali; MOH Chief of Nutrition Celia Sagaral; MDN Community Affairs Officer IV Dr. Baiking Balinte; Matanog Mayor Zohria Bansil-Guro and her vice mayor; and members of the security sector.
The Bangsamoro Government joined the nation in observing the 51st National Nutrition Month this July, under the theme, “Food and Nutrition Security Maging Priority: Sapat na Pagkain, Karapatan Natin.” (Myrna Tepadan/BIO)
Established in 2018 by the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) to implement the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), the Bangsamoro region is made up of the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, and Tawi-Tawi, the cities of Cotabato, Lamitan, and Marawi, as well as the Special Geographic Area’s (SGA) 63 barangays or villages — now eight new municipalities — that voted “Yes” in a plebiscite in February 2019 to be under the BARMM jurisdiction.
According to the Philippine Atlas BARMM has 4,404,288 people. It has 116 municipalities: Basilan, 11 municipalities; Lanao del Sur, 39; undivided Maguindanao, 36; Sulu, 19; and Tawi-Tawi, 11. Its component cities are Cotabato (the regional center and capital) in Maguindanao; Lamitan in Basilan; and Marawi in Lanao del Sur. (✓)